Feels like coming home
by MuiFilipa
Summary: A case of domestic abuse hits to close to home for Booth. And with his fathers health failing, he ends up reliving it all
1. Night Terrors

Fells like coming home

1 – Night terrors

The scene begun at the entrance hall, which looked like any other hall. There was a square table where some keys rested, abandoned by someone who was in a hurry to get in. There were pictures either on top of the table or on the wall, which showed a happy family.

In the living room, between the couch and the cupboard, two kids sat, on the floor, one on each side of a coffee table, playing a game invented by them. It involved baseball cards, marbles, and candies that were used as a coin. Even they weren't too familiar with the rules, but they were together, and the house was quiet, and it was all that mattered.

A woman was on the kitchen working on the stove, while simultaneously keeping an eye on the boys. She was proud of them, and by proxy, proud of herself for being their mother. There was a twinkle in her eyes that said that even though her life wasn't perfect, she would never change a thing if it meant risking her children.

All was peaceful. There were the sounds of laughter and boiling, and the smell was delicious. At the same time it meant that it was almost dinnertime. And that was when everything changed

The front door slammed opened, and a big, loud, drunken man walked inside. More like tried to walk inside, he was so drunk that even walking was a troublesome activity.

"Suzy, where is my beer?"

The woman froze. She knew what was coming. Money was scarce, and she had needed to buy some groceries, and it left her nearly with nothing. Most certainly without enough money to buy beer.

"Michael I told you before, we don't have enough money to…"

"Shut up, you lazy little bitch. All you do during the day is stand in this damn shack and comb your hair; I think I can ask for a beer when I come home."

The disagreement was old, the results were always the same.

The oldest boy was about to turn eight. He knew what to do when his father came home in one of his moods. Mommy told him to grab his brother and hide in his bedroom. He was strictly forbidden to leave the room until she said so. "You need to protect your brother, baby, it's your job, whenever I can't do it myself"

So that's what he did. He silently told his brother to be very still, and don't draw attention to himself. He grabbed the baseball cards, and the marbles, and stored them under the sofa. The candies he took with him, because he knew this could take hours, and they would be hungry. And his baby brother couldn't be hungry. It was his job to protect him. He needed to make sure his brother was safe, so that mommy would be happy with him. So that mommy would stop crying.

But that night he didn't stay in his bedroom. After making sure his brother had eaten his candy, and had fallen asleep, he opened the door and got out very slowly, as quiet as he could, so that neither his brother nor his parents knew what he was doing.

He could already hear the screaming. His father shouting and his mother trying to muffle her cries. He still couldn't understand what was being said so he got closer, and closer, and closer, so close that he could see what was happening. His parents were in the kitchen, between the counter and the wall next to the fridge.

"You are an ungrateful leach Suzy. You stay home all day, while I work my ass off trying to give you a good life, and when I come home what do I see? Gratitude? Appreciation? Of course not. I see a bitch that doesn't even care enough to buy her husband some beer." His voice was low now, almost an incantation. He was grinning, but his eyes spelled danger, and power, and he was not going to refrain himself from using it.

"Michael, we have two little kids. I needed to buy them something to eat and the money ran out. I'm sorry." She deep down knew it was no use. She would end up suffering the same fate, either she apologized or not. But she had to try. She had to keep on trying.

"Don't even try to feed me that crap, Susan… I give you enough money for you to be able to afford a pack of beer. What have you been doing with my money, slut? Have you been paying to get fucked up by some cock while I'm working? That's why you are always combing your hair right? There's no need, since you will never be more than a cheap whore."

"How dare you son of a bi……"

Before she ended her sentence, he slapped her. Hard. So hard that she, gaining momentum, ended up smacking her head against the refrigerator.

"You don't have the right to call me anything, you worthless piece of crap. You shouldn't even be looking at me, you are no one."

She was bleeding, and crying. Her pained look was one that her son had never seen, neither on his mother nor in anyone else. But in her eyes there was something more than pain. There was sadness, and above all others, there was resignation. As if she knew there was nothing more to be done except hopping that it would end soon, and without any major injuries.

He slapped her again, this time with less force. He wanted her awake, he wanted to subdue her, make her beg for mercy. He shoved her against the counter, and grabbed her arm, shaking her.

"I come home, and every night, and you tell me you're tired. Of course you're tired, I would be tired too if I had been fooling around with some shitty man who wanted nothing more than a booty call. You should be the one being paid, bitch."

The little boy didn't understand everything he was hearing. His mom had been all day taking care of the house, and taking him and his brother to the park, because it was summer, and they were getting bored. So why was his father saying that his mom had seen a man? She had been with them all the time.

He started taking her clothes of. Actually he started ripping them of, as if she was nothing more than a hanger. He never stopped beating her either it was a slap, a shove, or a full closed fist punch. Her face was bloody, and it was starting to bruise, and swell.

She took it stoically. Tears where barely visible anymore, since her face was already completely wet.

"Tonight you're going to do my bidding and you won't even open your big mouth to complain. Since everyone can have a go, I want my share of the meat"

His breath smelled like alcohol, and his hands were hurting her. He has squeezing her breasts without any concern. They had been getting tender lately, and his carelessness was hurting her. He touched her with nothing more than his hands and he never looked her in the eyes.

"You're going to suck my cock like you mean it" And he undid his belt, and took his pants, while he violently took her arms and push her to the ground.

The boy stopped seeing his mother. He was shocked, and confused. He didn't understand anything that was going on. He didn't know what his father was doing, or asking. And worst than that, he didn't know why he was making his mother cry. All he could see now was his father's upper body, his hands griping and pulling his mother's hair. What was she doing on the floor? Why was he hurting her, why didn't he help her get up.

All of a sudden, his father pushed his mother against the fridge again. "Stop" he barked forcefully "You don't think that I was going to let you finish with your mouth, did you? Because if everyone else is getting a piece of your cunt, that's what I'm going to get."

At this point his father punched his mother's head so forcefully, that she ended up on the floor. Soon after, he took his shoes and got behind the counter to, so he stopped seeing them. But he heard the moans. His father's moans, as well as his labored breathing. He heard them getting louder, and then stop.

The man stood, put his trousers on, and left without so much as a goodbye. He stomped past the kitchen door and the living room so hastily, that he missed the horrified little boy standing near. After making sure that his father was out of site, he crept very quietly to the kitchen.

What he saw marked him for life. His mother was lying on the floor, naked, bloody, and unconscious.

* * *

Seeley Booth woke up feeling nauseated. His breathing was difficult, his heart rate was accelerated, and he had a thick layer of sweat all over his body. He ran to the bathroom and dry heaved. He hated it. The nightmares always had this kind of effect on him, whatever the subject was. When he was starting to calm down he heard the phone ringing back in his bedroom.

"Booth" His voice was nearly inexistent. His throat felt like paper, from the nightmare and the vomiting.

The voice on the other side of the phone was unmistakable. And it meant only one thing: they had a case.

* * *

**Hi guys!**

**This is my second fic, and I decided to try something more serious.**

**I am not sure it deserves the rating just yet, but I think it goes on the safe side!**

**Please tell me what you think... Any kind of review is appreciated..**

**Oh, and one more thing, I'm not a native speaker, so it's possible that my grammar is a litle off**

**Kiss Muifilipa**


	2. Returning

Feels like coming home

2 – Returning

"Booth"

"I'll never leave you. If you trust nothing else, at least never doubt that"

"I trust you"

His eyes were as dark as coal, something she never believed his chocolate browns could be. His breathing was labored, as his torso was hovering hers, the drops of sweat shining in the moonlight that entered through the windows. It made him look almost ethereal, as if he had a halo surrounding him. It made him look like an angel.

He was smiling that ridiculous half grin of his, but his eyes conveyed much more than lust, they spoke of adoration, appreciation, care. She decided that she didn't want to hide anymore, she just couldn't hide from him, because he knew her better than she knew herself. And she was sure her eyes spoke just as loudly as his.

"I love you" As soon as she said it, she knew she couldn't take it back. And the amazing thing was that she didn't want to take it back. It felt right, safe, home. That's it. It felt like home. He felt like home. And that was what made him better than everyone else she dated previously. They might have cared for her, they might have even loved her, but they were never home.

His breathing hitched, and he was now wearing his full charm smile. She felt like flying. If she knew that saying those words would have that kind of effect, she would have done it sooner. Or probably not, because he deserved to hear her say it and mean it. He deserved the world, and at that moment, she promised herself that she would give it to him. No changies, no take backs.

* * *

Brennan opened one eye slowly, as if she was afraid of what she was going to find. There was the room, the windows, the moonlight, but there was no one else in there with her. She looked around. It felt so real, that reality seemed strange. She was hot, sweaty, flustered, and panting; exactly like she had just finished a very vigorous workout session.

It was nothing more than a dream. Another one of her very vivid, very graphic dreams. She was, after all a writer. She painted pictures in her head, just as colorful as Angela. The differences between them being that Angela saw real people and painted emotions and she only saw fictional characters and wrote physical reactions.

The dreams had been more and more recurrent. They had begun early in their partnership, but then they were full of angry lust. Then they changed into companionship. Now, they were full of all the above and more. It wasn't the first time she told him she loved him. In her dreams, she would tell him over and over again. But awake, she still dismissed the idea. Love isn't real.

It was five in the morning. Too early to get up, and too late to get back to sleep. She decided on the first one and took a shower, making herself ready to head to the Jeffersonian. It was no use staying at home. She would end up reliving her dream, so that she could analyze it, and dismiss it, like all the others.

Once again she looked around the apartment. She could almost feel his presence everywhere. Either it was on the pictures in the bookshelves, or in the brand of beer in the fridge. Even Parker had his space there. Brainy Smurf and Jasper were carefully situated in the desk, next to her computer. It was the place where she spent most of her time.

The car ride to the Jeffersonian was quiet, and as she watched the sun rise she thought of Booth again. And Angela's words that the sunset was more beautiful when you had someone to appreciate it with suddenly made sense.

They hadn't seen each other in a week. They had finish their last case, which had been pretty straightforward, and after that he started working on a case in cooperation with the Narcotics division, to which she wasn't needed, and she buried herself in Limbo, as she always did. Even the phone calls had been less frequent, though he always called both at lunch and dinner time to make sure she ate. She always called at night to ask if he needed any help, which he denied every day.

So when she arrived at the Jeffersonian she made a beeline to her office, only stopping to greet the night guard who eyed her with a knowing look. What he knew was lost on her, so she just dismissed it and continued walking.

Her lights were on, and her door had been unlocked. She was sure she had locked it the night before so she just reached for her gun, which she still couldn't use, and opened the door very slowly.

There, in her couch was the man of the hour. He was sleeping, one arm over his eyes to shield himself from the light, and the other falling, touching the floor. He had removed his coat, and his shoes, allowing her to see his socks and matching tie. They were orange, as loud as they could be, and had some kind of cartoon character that she recognized from Parker's DVDs. But what worried her was the fact that he was not wearing his cocky belt buckle, but a standard issue one.

He was so peaceful that she just sat at her desk, and pulled her laptop to work on her book. She knew he would wake up soon, so she saw no point on starting a new Limbo case. If he was there, it was because he needed her.

Booth indeed woke up soon after. The soft clicking of her keyboard lulled him back to consciousness, and he believed it was the better wakeup call he had ever had to this day. Of course he could think of a few scenarios that would be better, but this was enough just to make him smile.

"Good morning"

"Good morning. I trust you slept well."

"I'm sorry I just barged in your office, but… I always seem to sleep better in here, I'm still not quite sure why. And I really needed to talk to you as early as you got in, and I didn't want to disturb you early in the morning, you know, the last time it happened you were, ehh, quite busy."

Brennan looked up to take in his appearance then. He was definitely tired, and had very little sleep, if the bags under his eyes were any indication. His gate was misaligned, favoring his left side, which meant that his feet had been bothering him. And he was cradling his right arm, reminder of the bullet he took for her, she was sure. He was rambling about how he slept better in her couch, and he seemed on edge, which also made her nervous. She wanted to help with whatever was making him exert himself this much, so soon after his surgery, but she knew he wouldn't talk unless he wanted to. So she just listened.

"And since the night guard let me in, I just crashed here, I hope it's OK."

"Don't worry about it, I'll just be more careful as to where I leave my manuscript from now on"

He smiled then, a real smile. "Good job, Temperance" She thought to herself.

"Anyway what are you doing in here so early? I expected you here in half an hour."

"I have been here for almost an hour now I just didn't want to wake you up. You looked like you needed the rest. I just couldn't sleep, and I guess after that we had the same idea. Apparently you just though a little faster. So what do you need me for? Anything to do with the case in Narcotics? I thought you said that the victim was already identified, and the killer known, they just wanted you to connect him with some drug circle?"

"What? Oh that, no I already gave them the evidence they needed to arrest the big guys, they just have to find them first." He smiled at her. "No, we kind of have a new case."

"Oh… What are we waiting for then, let's go. Has the FBI secured the perimeter yet? I just hope they didn't compromise…"

"…Your remains, yes Bones they know. You have to start realizing that they can actually do their jobs, and they've been doing it very efficiently for the last 4 years. No, we can't go to the crime scene just yet, we have to wait for Cam, so you can tell her that you are going to Philadelphia with me."

"What? Why would I go there? We have a case, we can't just go."

He smiled again, the woman could make him light up as Christmas tree. She had just told him that she would go with him to the city of Brotherly Love if it wasn't for the case. Oh well, the case was there anyway.

"The case is in Philly, Bones. Apparently some big guy's wife disappeared a few months back, and they found a body yesterday, which they think might be the missing woman. And since power rules the world, and they want the best, they called for us. Well you, really, but I'm always game for a road trip"

Brennan felt herself blushing. As she did every time he complimented her. It was that or the charm smile he was sending her way. Or both. Probably both. She knew that she couldn't say no to him, not when he was smiling and saying that she was the best, but old habits die hard and she found herself protesting.

"Booth, I have hundreds of iron-aged remains to authenticate, as a part of an exhibition that the Jeffersonian is opening in a month, I can't just leave it all behind."

He knew her well enough to know when he had won so, as he saw Camille enter the platform, he just got Brennan on her feet, took her lab coat, with very little protest from her part and with a "chop chop, Bones", and a hand on the small of her back, he just guided her to her boss' office, from where they left, within ten minutes with the request to send the remains to the Jeffersonian as soon as she concluded her primary examination.

Without knowing they were both having similar thoughts, even thought the reasons were quite different.

"And here we go."

* * *

**Hello guys. **

**Here it is, the second chapter..**

**I'm not sure i'm completly satisfied with it, but hey...**

**Thank you for the kind reviews, and even for the not so kind ones. Hate it or love it, just take some time to tell me what you think**

**Oh, and thank you for the alerts on the story, and for adding it to you fav stories, or me two your fav authors... it was just wow...**

**Kiss Muifilipa**


	3. Road Trip

3 – Road Trip

After leaving the Jeffersonian they went to her apartment so she could pack. She didn't know how long this case would take, so she pack for a week, thinking that she could always use the laundry service at the hotel. Booth, always the boy scout, was already packed and ready to go. She was still puzzled about the reason she found him, that early in her office, but she reckoned she would soon find out.

There had been a lot of pregnant pauses between them lately, and more uncomfortable silences than in the whole history of their partnership. She really didn't know what had changed, but she could pinpoint exactly when it happened. His surgery was undoubtedly a changing point for both of them. They never discussed it, not after the "who are you" fiasco. She still didn't know what he had meant with his question; neither was she particularly inclined to ask. She was completely petrified with the answer, as she was when he actually said it, only to be followed by an unsure "Bones".

"So, what do you know about this case?"

"Not much actually, not much more than what I already told you. I know that a body was found in the Longwood Gardens, and I know we were called there because of someone's power trip, which ended in us being shipped off to Philadelphia."

"But, Booth, I thought we were driving, and technically it would take us much longer to arrive, since we would have to sail down the….."

"Bones, Bones, Bones, stop. It's an expression, meaning that we are going to be sent there, that's all."

"Then why didn't you say just that? I really don't see the point of that expression, since it induces people to conclude we are taking a different means of transportation than the one we are actually using."

He couldn't stand it anymore and started laughing. It was nice to bicker again, to correct her pop culture references, and to see her all flustered and bothered by something she did not understand. She was really not used to not understanding.

Brennan was torn. She was trying to decide whether to kiss or kill him. On one hand was the sense of normalcy she was missing. They were acting like themselves again, which was a good thing. Plus he hadn't been smiling much as of lately, she had yet failed to grasp the reason why, though. On the other hand there was that feeling of inadequacy again, as if she had been living in a world of her own her whole life. But who was she trying to kid. She liked when we took the time to explain all those things to her. It made her feel cared for, which was something she had not felt in fifteen years.

So, even before her mind decided, her lips were twitching upwards and she was smiling too. And she realized that she rather liked it.

As they were heading up north, she ended up falling asleep. It was not a long trip per se, but she had had very little sleep the night before, and the rocking of the car, plus the company made it easy to dose off. Her head was resting in the window, and to his eyes she never looked more beautiful. She had a little smile on her lips, and looks like the girl he met through her parents' folder. He reckoned that she would still be much more like this girl if she hadn't been left. But she had been, and she wasn't, and he cared deeply for her none the less. She was perfect.

He thought back to the last time he had driven this same road to go home. It had been more than six years ago, and the reason was bittersweet.

* * *

He was walking steadily, as it would be expected of an ex-sniper, and an FBI agent. He hadn't been home in a while. When he decided he wanted to join the burrow, he never thought it would be just as hard work as the army had been. But he felt fulfilled, and he was making amends for the lives he took back in the way. His personal life however was a messier. He had a girlfriend who he was in love with, and who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. And now a little boy was on the way. He was happy actually. He didn't adore the fact that he was going to be a father before learning to be a husband, but he already loved his baby boy, and he wouldn't change the fact that Rebecca was pregnant for all the marriages in the world.

So there he was, back in his hometown, thinking of how to break the news to his very traditional parents. They wouldn't be happy with him, of that he was sure. But he hoped that the prospect of a little grandson would make them forget the rest of the details. So he reached for the door knob.

The house smelled like alcohol, has if it hadn't been clean for months. He knew better though, his mother was a very clean woman. Apparently his father was still drinking.

"Mom. It's me, Seeley. I'm home. Where are you?"

"Seeley?" Her voice was barely a whisper, and it intrigued him, because in the absence of his father, she always had been a very enthusiastic woman. His father was in the house then. Good. He would only have to tell his news once.

"Yes Mom, it's me. Where are you?"

"Up here, in the attic" what the hell was his mother doing in the attic? It had been closed for years. When he was growing up, it used to be called the dungeon, except it wasn't underground. It was old, dusty, and full of spider webs (and spiders themselves, he supposed). So he climbed through the bathroom's ceiling hole, to reach his mother.

Well, it had not changed much. It was still old, dusty, and full of spider webs. The difference was lying on the floor where a tiny mattress was placed, with a pile of books on each side. His mother was sitting in the old rocking chair that had belonged to her father, looking out through a small window. She looked exactly as the attic, old and dusty, as if she was actually part of the furniture. She had a full head of white hair which was pulled up in a loose pony tail and her skin was pale white, which enhanced the bags under her eyes and, he noticed, the bruises all over her exposed flesh. With every move of the chair she winced, and he assumed she had even more bruises under her clothes, which too look dusty and well worn.

" Mom, what are you doing here?" He knew better than to question her. She would tell him all he wanted to know, but on her own pace, as if she knew he could only take so much information at a time.

"Hello there, how are you? You look thinner, have you been eating properly? It has been so long since you came home, Seeley." Yes, there was his mother, as motherly as it could be. It made him smile a sad smile. Sad because he knew the life she led and how much it clashed with the life she deserved.

"You know I would love to come more often, but I'm working really hard to get my Special Agent status, and now with the… oh well, I have some news to tell you, that's actually why I came, but I would like to tell both you and Dad at the same time, if you don't mind." At the mention of his father he measured her mother's reaction. It betrayed nothing just as always. He lowered his voice. "How are you Mom, and why are you up here? You look like you have been up here for days".

She sighted. "That's because I have been, except occasional trips downstairs at night, so that I can eat and go to the bathroom. Your father was in one of his moods, and this is the safest way to ride through it. It should be over by now, I was thinking of making him dinner tonight, to see how he was doing."

So that was why the house smelled like that.

"Your father is not as strong as he used to be, and with the alcohol, it is impossible for him to climb the hatch. So I'm safe upstairs, and I can still watch out for him, and leave him his meals. It was actually a very clever idea don't you think?" She smiled. She was proud of herself.

"Why do you still care?" He always asked this particular question, every time he returned, every time he saw her, because it puzzled him why such a lively and intelligent woman would stand to have this done to her.

"Nonsense, honey. This is where I belong, beside my husband, in my own home, waiting for my children to visit, and make me proud. This is where I want to be. So, you say you have news for us. Are you finally bringing your girl home? "

He smiled in spite of himself. His mother had known about Rebecca, they were together a long time, but he had yet to bring her home. He didn't want to do it for less than the sure thing, so he was waiting to propose.

"Well Mom the news are about my girl." He grinned, his charm smile full force. "But I would really rather tell you both at the same time."

"Let's make dinner then"

Two hours later, his father arrived, not as drunk as he used to be. His mood was better, so he believed he was lucky.

"Seeley, my boy, what are you doing here? Decided to drop by to see the old folks?"

He sat at the dinner table, waiting for his wife to serve him dinner. Even half the man he used to be, Michael Booth was still a big man. But the alcohol abuse had taken its toll, and the liver problems made him loose most of his muscle mass, and caused heart problems. He has kind of yellowish, and had trouble breathing. He looked much older than he really was.

"Yes, that and I have some news for you guys. You know Rebecca, right?" At their nod, he proceeded. " Well, I realize that these are not the best circumstances, but we are going to have a baby."

"What?" It was the same response, but the tones were complete opposites. His mother, in spite of being a little shocked had long ago accepted that her kids had an active sex life, so in her eyes, past a superficial disappointment he could see joy, and curiosity to meet her new grandson. His father, on the contrary, just started laughing.

"So you got to fuck that whore of yours and were fool enough to impregnate her? Does she realize that she ain't gonna get any kind of money from us right? Because bastards have no rights, including the right to our name."

"Do you seriously believe that I'm not naming and fathering my child? I love his mother, and I will marry her someday, and even if I didn't, I would still love him. He is my responsibility, and I will care for him for as long as I shall live. As for his mother, don't even start on her. I love her, she loves me, and the fact that we are not married doesn't change that."

"If she let you impregnate her, more than a whore, she is stupid. How many men has she fucked before you, huh? How many men as she fucked while she was fucking you? Do you know? Of course not. You are nothing but a pussy-sucker, gold mine to her. Do you believe that she will ever say yes, even if you proposed? Why would she? She will get what she wants from you and go suck the next dick. That's what all the whores do. So don't even bother to invite us to the wedding, or bring the little bastard by, because neither he nor his mother will ever be welcome in this household. This house only allows serious people."

Booth was appalled. He knew his father wasn't going to be thrilled, but forbid his grandson to ever come to his house was something he was not expected. Not that he would ever bring him here alone, he wasn't going to let his son suffer what he suffered, but he wanted the baby to meet his grandmother.

"It's ok Dad. I wasn't planning on invite you, or even bring my baby here. I'm sorry Mom"

And he left.

* * *

A month later he did propose to Rebecca, and has his father predicted she did reject him. It felt like he was eight all over again, and was seeing his mother being abused.

And the opportunity not to invite him to his wedding never arose.

Brennan was watching him closely. She had woken up an hour before reaching their final destination. His knuckles were white and he was almost shocking the steering wheel. His brow was furrowed, and his expression somber. Whatever he was reminding wasn't a very pleasant memory. She pondered calling him to bring him back to the real world, when he looked at her and smiled, as if she was the most precious thing he had ever behold. sending shivers down her vertebrae that she did not recognize. She wasn't cold. And then he got the dreamy look on his eyes again and said:

"Bones, welcome to Philadelphia"

* * *

**Hello again!! Here's the 3rd chapter.**

**Thank you so much to those of you who took the time to review, and to the ones who put my story on alert.. Makes me want to write more...**

**Goldpiece: The ideia of making the dead women Booth's mother is not bad at all, but, no, it's not what i'm going with here... eheh.. thank you for your kind review**

**Guys, be Jelous.. I'm going to the beach with a couple of friends, so, when I come back please let me find my email full of review.. Pweeease?? With a cherry on top? **

**Muifilipa**


	4. The begining of a case

4 – The Introduction of a case

Booth drove expertly through the city's streets. He did it like it was second nature. He was comfortable driving through those streets; he knew where he was going.

They had been quiet since he welcomed her to Philly. She had been watching him before, but the way he spoke made her even more unsettled. He looked nervous.

He had been more introspective than usual. Booth didn't like to mull over things very often because it always made him remorseful. He ended up reliving the horrors he had seen and done in the past, either as a Ranger and an FBI agent, and invariably, he felt terribly guilty. So the fact that he was contemplating so fiercely send shivers down her vertebral column. As an aftermath, she always had a hard time convincing him that he was worth it, that he was a good man. But of course, in the meantime she would say something stupid that would offend him, and the mere thought brought her physical pain. She didn't want to see disappointment in his eyes ever again, at least if she could help it.

"Must be the fact that this is his hometown" she thought to herself. She knew barely nothing of Booth's past, and not much more than his hometown, his brother and the fact that his dad was an abusive, alcoholic man. She never pushed the issue after his Birthday Party. Oh, she was very interested, and the scientist part of her was very curious, but she didn't want him to reveal more than he was ready for. He would only close up under pressure. He endured torture in the army, after all.

"So, are you excited to be coming home?" She had to say something to make sure he stopped his musings. But he cringed. Of course, she had to say the wrong thing. He was visibly tense, and looked like he wanted to be everywhere else but there. Even her socially impaired self could recognize that. But she couldn't stop herself from opening her big mouth.

"Yes, it's a dream come true." His voice was sarcastic and his tone was dripping with venom. He clenched his teeth, and stared right ahead telling her that he didn't want to talk. He hoped she would get the message.

"I'm sorry" she shied away, which was very out of character for her. She always had something to say, especially when she felt she was being snapped at for no good reason.

He looked at her as she looked out the window, admiring her profile as she admired the skyscrapers. Philadelphia's silhouette. He was so familiar with it.

"No Bones, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, especially when you don't know any better."

"What do you mean? Technically speaking, I do know better than most people, and my knowledge is vaster than yours, both because I have a higher IQ and a more extensive education…"

"Stop right there Bones. Please stop before you say something you regret, even though I'd know deep down that you wouldn't mean it like that, ok?"

She gave in, then. He was right; she did have a tendency to say things the wrong way. Hadn't been the previous conversation a prime example of her poor people skills? And she had called him stupid before, when she was trying to compliment him. What kind of person does that? His voice brought her back to reality.

"It was an expression. What I meant is that you don't know much about this part of my life to know how I feel about coming back here."

"You don't talk about it. Not to me, anyway." She whispered, so that he wouldn't listen, feeling a little hurt. But he was a trained sniper, so he did hear. And it broke his heart a little bit knowing that she trusted him so implicitly, not actually knowing where he came from. He knew he should tell her, at least so that she had the general idea. She deserved at least that. And if he was true to himself he wouldn't want to tell anyone else but her. So he decided to tell her exactly that.

"If it makes you feel any better, if I end up telling anyone, it will be you." He admitted quietly. He wanted her to realize she was important. That she wasn't the one he was hiding these memories from. He was hiding them from himself.

She smiled, touched, and he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. She understood. She knew him enough to understand. So he vowed then and there that he would tell her, and not only for her to have the general picture, but every detail. Because he knew that he wouldn't get pity from her. And he decided to start right now.

"So Bones, my dear, would you like to go get breakfast, well, lunch really, in the best place of the entire city, with yours truly?"

She laughed freely. "Are you going to take me to the place where you took all your conquests while you were at school?"

"No Bones, I only introduce the good food to the really good ones." He said, full Charm Smile on.

"Right. And I bet you told them all the exact same thing."

"Well" his tone changed from playful to semi-serious "I'm not going lie to you, I did have my fair share of girlfriends during school. I played hockey, and basketball, and as I told you already, if I didn't hurt my shoulder I may have gone pro. I had good grades, not your kind of good grades, but, enough to get me into a good college, if the sports scholarship had failed, and I was kind of good looking." He smiled "But I was never a player. If I was with a girl I was only with her, and I was with her because I liked her. And if all I wanted was a one night stand, I would make sure the girl knew it going in. I never cheated on a woman in my life, and I don't intend to."

"I wouldn't have expected anything else from you." She said in a no-nonsense kind of way, as if thinking otherwise would be completely ludicrous.

He was astounded. Her faith in him was even stronger than he ever knew. His heart swelled with pride, and he beamed. "Thanks Bones"

She wasn't sure what he was thanking him for, so she just looked at him and smiled.

* * *

It was almost noon when they got to the dinner. It was much like the one they went back in Washington, so she felt at home. The familiar banter with Booth was restored, and his eyes were twinkling again, which she took as a good sign. He was relaxing, and with that she relaxed as well.

"Seeley Booth" a loud squeal was heard, and even before they could see where it had come from, a large woman in her sixties came running and wrapped Booth in a fierce bear hug. "You took so long to come back. So many years. I should kick your ass for disserting us, you little rat. You broke so many hearts when you left." the woman said to him, with a tear stuck in the corner of her eye. "And now you come back, more handsome, and with this beautiful woman, Seeley…"

"Bones, this is Alice, the owner of this fine dinner, and the maker of the finest pie in the whole wide world."

"Booth you can't know that for sure, since you have not tasted all the pies in the whole wide world." She said clinically. "But I must admit that the one you served us was exquisite, and I normally don't like my fruit cooked. It's very nice to meet you." She said smiling

"You too, my dear. You have got to tell me your name though, since our Seeley here introduced you as Bones"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Temperance Brennan." Booth noticed the lack of her formal title, but said nothing about it. "I'm so used to him calling me Bones, that I don't even feel the need to introduce me as anything else at this point."At this he chuckled.

"See, I knew you liked it when I called you Bones."

"Not so much as liking it, I just got used to it."

"Admit it, you like it"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Ok kids, ok, I got it." Alice was smiling and had a knowing look in her eyes. "So, Seeley, are you finally bringing a girl to meet the parents? Again, you will break many hearts."

"Were not a couple"

"Were just partners"

They're answer was almost synchronized. Alice reckoned that they had to say it countless times, and if she had to guess they fooled no one but themselves.

"Were here as a part of a FBI investigation, Alice. Bones was called to do what she does best, and I, as her partner, tagged along."

"And what is it that you do honey?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist. I identify remains that are too decomposed to be identified by regular forensic methods." Bones knew she probably shouldn't have said it, but she really did not know how to put it lightly.

"Bones gives back the identity to those whose bodies were too traumatized for normal people to recognize them. It brings closure, and prevents the families some very horrifying images of their loved ones." Both women felt the pride in his voice. One of them was smiling again, as if she knew a secret the other two didn't, and the other was blushing with the compliment.

"Well, that is a very noble job indeed."

"Booth made it relevant really." She smiled at him. It was her way of saying thank you.

"We have to go now Alice, work a waits. It was really nice seeing you again. And I missed your pies, so much." And there it was the infamous charm smile. So it was true that he got whatever he wanted with it.

"You to, my boy. Please don't be a stranger while you're here. Bring your lovely lady again, and I'll make you more of the pie you like so much." Alice said, hugging him again.

As they were leaving, Alice grabbed his arm and told him quietly "You should go home, honey. You're mother misses you. And your father, well, he had better days."

"You know I can't Alice, not after the last time."

"At least think about it. They are after all part of your family."

With that he left, promising to come back.

They drove the 30 miles to the Longwood

* * *

Gardens, and what she saw amazed her. They were an impressive extension of a green extravaganza, with a beauty that matched The Mall itself. She always liked the outdoors, even though the majority of her time was spent inside a lab. That's why she liked working at the Jeffersonian so much. She only needed to get out the front doors and she was surrounded by nature. Tamed nature, true, but nature none the less.

The fountains were impressive and together they looked like water fireworks. Which she knew was impossible. The colors and the smells overwhelmed her. She could hear the birds and the squirrels, and even find some hummingbirds every once in a while under a very opulent tree, so high that she could not see where it ended. From where she stood she could see a pond, surrounded by green, and beautiful flowers, and a little gazebo, that stood near the water. The image was so beautiful that she found herself wishing she could share it. She could photograph it. But the pictures wouldn't have the same beauty. Suddenly Angela talked in her head again. "A sunset it's always more beautiful when you share it with someone special."

Meanwhile Booth looked at her. As she walked, lost in the magic of the place, we could almost swear he could see the fifteen year old, hoping and dreaming and being happy. Before all the mayhem happened in her life. Her eyes shone like two safires, as she took everything in. She didn't even blink, afraid of losing a single moment.

Before he could think of what he was doing, he approached her, hugged her from behind and murmured in her hear, as his hands rested in her abdomen "Beautiful, isn't it?"

She didn't answer right away. She was so amazed by the gardens that his embrace was almost expected, and very much welcomed. She relaxed against his chest, took a deep breath and spoke:

"Dazzling."

They stood there for a moment, neither one thinking of how they would both react when the spell was broken. What they needed was the others strength. And both were willing to give it.

"Agent Booth" They heard in the distance.

And with that they were Booth and Bones again, the crime fighters. They walked steadily towards the young agent, who had witnessed nothing between the partners, with his hand on the small of her back, as if nothing had happened. Neither of them actually thought about it again, it was one of the moments. They felt it, and didn't question it.

"The remains are in one of the fountains, Doctor Brennan, right this way."

"I hope they didn't compromise the crime scene Booth"

"Relax Bones; they know what they are doing. Besides their orders were not to touch anything until you said so."

The remains were actually pretty intact, apart from the decomposition, of course. The body was bound by ropes, and two heavy stones pulled it downwards. They noticed it, because one of the hands got stuck in the water filters, allowing the water to turn green from the algae activity.

"Female, 40-45 years of age, multiple fractures to the radius and proximal carpal bones, suggest defensive wounds. I can see some other fractures to her clavicle, upper ribs, and scapula. I can even see a lesion in the cartilage of the glenoid fossa, which is congruent with repetitive shoulder dislocation." She started her examination, knowing that booth was writing down the more important details, or at least the ones he could understand. She smirked at that thought. "Most of these injuries healed, so they were sustained before death. This woman was most likely victim of a very violent abuse. Her lower limbs are mostly intact except for the pelvis which is fracture in the pubic region. It can either be a car fracture, like she was run over by a car, or a very violent rape. This was a very violent murder Booth."

"Right Bones, anything else you can tell me?"

"She was approximately 5 feet and 5 inches high, and had blond hair. I can almost guarantee that she wasn't killed here, but transported here post-mortem. I would put time of death between 6 to 8 months. Hodgins will be able to tell for certain. I could know more at the lab. Make sure the forensics team sends samples of the water and the surrounding flora with the body."

"Sure thing, Bones. People you heard the lady, pack the body, water samples and flora, and send it all to the Jeffersonian."

"Are you coming back or should I go back with the body?"

"We need to investigate it here Bones so neither one of us are leaving just yet. I'm sure intern of the week can handle it."

"But Booth…"

"Please Bones?" His look said more than his words. He wanted her to stay, and more than that he needed her to stay. He didn't want to be there, much less alone.

So she did the only thing she thought of:

"So, did you book a hotel yet, or are you waiting on my unlimited budget?"

* * *

**Here you have it guys. Sorry for the delay, but as I told you I went to the beach for a few days.**

**I don't really know how deep I'm going to go with the murder, because even though I know a few things about bodies, I don't have much forensic knowledge, and I don't want to say completly wrong things.**

**Oh about the intern. I don't have a personal favourite, all of them have such distintive caracteristics, so help me out here, which one do you prefer?**

**On a last note, I've never been to the States, so the Gardens are nothing more than pictures to me. They are real though, so let me know if I made them too, oh well, made up.**

**Please leave me a review when you stop by. They make me very happy... =)**


	5. Accommodations

**Hello again guys!**

**This chapter it's completly diferent from the one I was planing. So I'm not that happy with it. I'm seriously thinking I got more than I was bargainig for with this story, but I'm going to go through with it.**

**Please keep telling me what you're thinking. Thank you so much for reviewing, and thanks to those of you who add it on alert. Reviews do make me write faster. **

**Oh and this chapter is dedicated to mindquaker. Thanks for the tip.**

**By the way I never put a disclaimer in her, because I think it's ridiculous anyone thinking that any of the writers owns the concept but: I own nothing. Not Bones, not "Enough".. Nothing**

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5- Accommodations

"Of course Bones, your budget is a big part of the reason I want you to stay" Booth said with a large smile "Where would I find a continental breakfast with 50 dollars per day?"

They drove to a nice little inn, just outside the city. It looked like a brazilian bungalow, except with bigger proportions. As they parked the car, they saw a candle lit path that would take them to the front desk, and around it there was all kind of green they could imagine. It was like they never left the gardens. Brennan couldn't stop thinking what it would look like in the winter, when it snowed and all the green was replaced by whites and browns. Then, because of her writer's imagination, she started picturing Christmas lights on the trees, and the sound of the wind. At that she stopped herself. She didn't like Christmas, so why was she imagining it in the middle of August?

At the front desk, they were met by a perky 25 year-old blond woman, who looked at them (well, Booth, really) and with a big smile while introducing herself.

"Good Evening and Welcome to St. Leos Inn. My name is Elizabeth Taylor, how can I help you?"

"Hello, miss Taylor. We would like a double bedroom please?" Booth answered, with his best "you-know-you-can't-refuse-me-anything" voice.

The poor girl nearly gasped. She couldn't take her eyes of his, as if he was spelling some kind of incantation. Brennan, who was feeling completely ignored by either of them, couldn't help the smirk when she saw her partner in full seduction mood. So that's how he got out of everything in high school. Or how he got every female to do his bidding. She was glad he was a good man. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have anyone available for the next couple of days, how long do you expect to stay, mister…?"

"Booth. I don't know for sure, we are here in a business trip so it could either be a couple of days or a couple of weeks"

Brennan gasped.

"I can't be here a couple of weeks. I have remains to identify back at the Jeffersonian, and an article to finish writing, and that needs to be published in the next forensic journal, and…"

"And you will be here as long as it takes for us to give the poor woman some closure." Booth half whispered, looking deep into her eyes, begging her to understand.

"But, Booth…"

"Bones could you please go check if I locked the SUV. I'm not sure, and I can't very well leave the car opened all night."

Brennan took the car keys and went without another word. She knew Booth kept his guns and bullet proof vests in the trunk so he really couldn't very much leave the car unlocked. It was only when she got t the SUV that she remembered that Booth always double checked the lock. It had been a nice way of telling her to "get lost".

Meanwhile Booth turned to the women behind the counter.

"Never mind her; she is not too eager to field trips you know? She is a bit of a workaholic. You were saying that we couldn't have a double bedroom for another couple of days, right? That's really annoying. Our budget can't support two bedrooms, you see?" He said sweetly. He was sure Brennan wouldn't let him sleep in the same bedroom as her if it could be avoided, and he sure as hell couldn't afford to stay in the same hotel as her, so he really, really needed that bedroom.

"You could always take a suite. It has a bed and a very comfortable pull-out couch, so it would be the next best thing." She answer, wanting to please him "It's a little pricier than a double bedroom, but not as expensive as two separate bedrooms. In a couple a days you could always switch if that's what you want."

And Booth was pleased. He knew he would have to sleep on a pull-out couch for a couple of days, and it would be hell to pay with his back, but if it meant he could stay next to Bones, then he would take it. Maybe she would fix him up with one of her massages. And then again…

"That's an agreeable solution, thank you so much for your patience."

Brennan was returning from the SUV fuming. Booth played her. If he wanted her gone he would only have to tell her so, and she would leave them alone, wouldn't she? She understood he had urges, so why wouldn't he just be honest? She knew he really liked blondes. The twinge of jealousy which she rationalized as anger at being manipulated made her almost stomp all the way to the front desk.

Sensing the danger Booth turned and stopped her from talking with a "Bones, Miss Taylor here got us a suit with a pull-out couch, what do you say?"

Forgetting momentarily what she was about to say she just shrugged, and answered a very aloof "Sure".

Silently she followed Booth and the receptionist through a corridor that would take them to the elevator. Booth was making small talk with the younger woman, asking her what to visit while in town, where to eat. The woman's answers were enthusiastic, and she even offered to take him (them, she corrected half-heartedly) to Jim's. "They make a mean cheesecake; you can't get back to DC without tasting it".

She was again feeling like a third wheel. She wasn't used to being ignored, at it wasn't a good feeling, especially coming from Booth, who always listened to her. Booth on the other hand, while making small talk was thinking what made Brennan so silent. Normally she would just correct something he said, or at least make some anthropological remark about the way the paintings were hung up, or whatever. Being passive was just not what she did.

The suite was dreamlike. Inside the door they could see a long entrance hall decorated with tasteful paintings and a comfortable carpet that opened in two rooms. The left one was the living room. It had the couch, a fairly big TV and a dining table, which they both assume would be their working area. The bedroom, on the right, was as classy as the living room had been. There was a king size bed in the middle, surrounded by two simple bedtime tables. The desk and the mirror stood leaning against one of the side walls, and next to them was a door that led to the bathroom. It was large and clearly designed for a couple. Two sinks, a large mirror and a shower in which could fit easily five to six people. On the other side wall of the bedroom there was the balcony. It was wide and the garden table placed there looked designed for comfort. One second look told them, that it even had a Jacuzzi.

"Oh wow Bones, I don't think I will ever want to change rooms after all, do you?"

"I think I will take a shower now. Today was a very long day, and the trip, and retrieving the remains just left me in need of a very long shower."

"Go right ahead. Since it's too late to call the lab now, I'll just go and keep that fine lady company."

"Oh you're going back to meet Miss Taylor? Just get another set of room keys then, so that if you're late you don't have to wake me up to let you in" She dismissed quickly. "If I knew you were so interested I would have insisted you get your own room, I don't want to impose." She didn't know where that had come from she had just blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"What?" Booth was genuinely confused. What the hell was she talking about?

"Oh, and you didn't have to send me back to the car just to get me lost" She used the quotation marks on the expression he had once used. "You just had to say so, and instead of going to the car I could have gone and have a drink at the bar."

"Oh so you think I wanted you lost so that I could hit on a girl?" Booth now had a very smug grin. She was jealous of him.

"Well she was definitely hitting on you, and she was very appealing sexually, and she seemed to be your preferred type, so I don't think it would be that big of a leap."

"A leap none the less, and a wrong one at that." He answered, still wearing an infuriated I-know-where-this-is-coming-from-even-if-you-don't-admit-it smile. "You've seen me at work you know I use my charm on people to get what I want. And at that moment I wanted her to find me a room where we both could stay, since you know, they were all booked. And yeah, you being there was totally wrecking my mojo."

"Now you sound like Sweets" she mumbled not looking in his eyes where she was sure she was going to find a grin so wide she would be powerless to grin back, and that was not going to happen. So blushing she retreated to the bathroom and while she was stripping down her clothes she heard him light on the TV. Ah, the nice lady…

* * *

After her showershe joined him in the living room just to find him setting the table, which on it had several cartons of take out. She smiled at his kindness. She was hungry.

"There you are. I was starting to think you were missing in action" He smiled "I took the liberty to order some food, since neither of us has eaten since lunch at Alice's, and I am really, really hungry. Feel free to help yourself if you like"

"Thank you so much" She said truly. "And oh, how could I be missing in action? I was just in the bathroom, not in some war zone"

"With you I'm sure it could be both" He replied quietly so that she wouldn't listen.

They sat eating contentedly, even though neither one was speaking. They were at ease around each other, and they both cherished the moments where they could be together, just enjoying each other's company. Talking was overrated.

After dinner Brennan excused herself to go to bed, but Booth was having none of that.

"Bones, I know you're not that tired. You'll just sit in that bed and write until you drop. So why don't we just pull out the couch, order some popcorn from room service and watch a movie. Then we both go to bed to actually sleep."

"I really don't want to impose on your own space Booth, so really, you should just rest, and I'll be in the bedroom" She tried to counterargument, weakly. She wanted to stay, if for nothing else, for her opportunity to learn a little bit more about pop culture.

"Bones just go and call room service while I take care of the couch, please."

Popcorn was in the room in fifteen minutes, the couch however took a while longer. Every time she tried to help him, he just brushed her of saying that it was a guy thing. She watched amused as he circled the couch looking for some kind of mechanism that would do the trick. He looked like a hunter stalking his prey. She even tried to point it to the instructions, but again, his answer was a very offended "Guys don't need that stuff Bones". Her smirking was becoming a loud laugh when he decided it was time to give up. Sensing his mood she just approached the couch kneeled behind it and pressed the desired button. The couch unfolded in front of Booth's disbelieving eyes.

Finally setting on the couch Booth relinquished control of the remote asking Brennan to choose a movie.

She refused. "You are much more capable of choosing a fitting movie for both of us to watch than me Booth."

Since everything that was playing was either a chick flick or an animated movie he settled for the movie "Enough" starring Jennifer Lopez. He admitted he wasn't one of his favorites but it was a nice enough movie for them to relax.

During the film they began to come closer. First Brennan reached for him to preach him about marriage, since Slim seemed to be a very independent woman, making it unreasonable for her to get married to a guy she met at the dinner she worked at. Then Booth reached for her, unconsciously, when he related to the woman who was being abused and cheated by the one man that swore to protect her, and to the daughter they had. Then Brennan to correct her martial arts moves, telling him they were too rehearsed.

At the end she was standing next to him, his arm around her shoulders, and her head falling to his chest, and his protectively on top of hers. He sensed she was falling asleep so he tried to carry her to the bedroom. She sensed the movement and opened her eyes, and nuzzled his neck stopping his endeavors.

"Booth" She said sleepily, quietly, her eyes looking hazily up to his, as if she was telling him a secret. "Why did she stay? Why didn't she just picked up her daughter and ran the first time he slapped her?"

"I am not sure, Bones. To this day I'm not sure what makes a woman endure this kind of abuse. Fear perhaps. Security. But if I had to bet I would say hope and love." He answered truthfully, wrapping his arms around her. "Hope and love."


	6. Where it hurts the most

**Hello There! **

**I know, I know I took longer to update I'm so sorry. But at last here it is. Hope you like it.**

**Please don't leave without a review. It makes me update more often. And thank you for those you took the time. They really made my day.**

**Do you wanna know a funny thing? I just booked a trip to Rome with my friends and guess when we are going? The premiere week.. But hey... It is la citá eterna, right?**

**Muifilipa**

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6 – Where it hurts the most

There it was. He was not thrilled to be there, but he knew it had to be done. And he wasn't a scared teenager anymore, he was 22, and on his way to become a Ranger. After he moved out to college, he returned home just as little as possible. And he only did it out of respect for his mother and brother, who were after all most of the family he had left. He would never understand why they stayed after so many years of blatant abuse.

Once he actually tried to ask his mother why she was still in the house, living with, more likely live for a man who had no respect for her whatsoever, much less care for her in any sense of the word. She dismissed the question with a simple answer "What are you talking about Seeley; I love your father very much."

Yes, he knew that much. He could see it in her eyes every day, every time she talked about him. Hell, he had even seen it in the middle of their fights. He could even see it when he was beating the daylights out of her. Even when he violated her.

Love. That was a pathetic excuse to allow that kind of torture. Love should come hand in hand with respect, affection, care. Not abuse. He remembered something his grandmother told him before she died, after almost 50 years of being married to his grandfather. They had been discussing girlfriends and Seeley was adamant he would never love in his life. "My dear boy, don't dismiss love, just because you believe you never experienced it. Love either makes you or brakes you. And you Seeley Booth are one of the few lucky people whose ability to love is as big as life itself. It will break your heart, but will also bring you great things."

He still didn't believe his grandmother. He had cared for his girlfriends over the years; he had always been respectful, and attentive. But love… That transcendent, once in a lifetime, pure concept of love was still allusive.

But then again, nothing but love brought him back to the household where he suffered so much. Nothing but selfless love for his mother who despite every flaw, always tried to do the right thing. Especially now that his brother, after graduating, moved out and joined the navy.

The house was like another house in the vicinity. The front porch had a swing, where he remembered making out with Vanessa Taylor, after his junior prom. The door frame still had little marks he and Jared used to make when they pretended they were spies, and needed a secret code to communicate each other's findings. With a chuckle he remembered his mother almost going crazy when she found out. Inside the windows he could still see the curtains his mother bought one day, in an effort to make the house a home. The little front garden was an organized mess, with well cut grass, and expertly placed bouquets of flowers that went all the way from the porch to the oh-so-American white picket fence.

It was early afternoon, so he knew his father wouldn't be home. He got out of his car and taking deep breaths went inside. Everything was just as he remembered them. The hall, the living room with that old, uncomfortable couch, the kitchen counter where he ate the most amazing homemade pie he could remember ever eating…

"Mom. Hello, Mom, where are you?"

"Seeley, is that you son? Look at you, you are so handsome, but you are thinner. Have you been eating?" Susan Booth was a woman on a mission. She almost never got to see her older son, so whenever he came home she would mother him as much as she could. She missed him too much. He was always the one who jumped to defend her, and he never allowed her husband to touch her younger son. And she was grateful, that at least one of them was spared from their father's moods.

"I'm not a kid anymore, mom." He answered with a smile "I'm 22, and I just graduated from college, so you don't get to pinch my cheeks like that anymore." He gave her his trademark smile for full effect.

"Seeley Booth I put you in this world, so I'm entitled to do whatever I please whenever you give us the honor of your visit."

"Alright, alright I give. Especially if there is some of your delicious pie. Because mom, you said it yourself, I really am too thin." They both chuckled and he let himself hug his mother. He remembered when he couldn't reach past her hips, so she had to hunch down for him to hug her properly. Now it was the other way around. He was a 6 feet tall, full grown man, who almost could wrap his arms twice around his mother.

"So what have you been up to mom? How are things back home? Jared, Dad, Grams and Paps" What he really wanted to ask was if she had been hurt.

"Same old, same old. I've been taking care of the house and your father, although he spends most of his time in that barber shop of his. You know how much he likes it." Yes, Seeley did know. But he suspected that the reason he liked it so much was its strategic location, right next to the liquor store. "Jared almost broke my heart when he joined the Navy. Sending both of her sons to the military is like poison to a mother's heart, you know?" She had a sad smile now, a smile that both said I wish you didn't enlist, since I know it's likely you'll get yourself injured, and I'm so proud of you. "Your grandparents are as good as ever. Laura gave us quite a scare a few months back, when she started complaining from chest pain, but the doctor said she had only a minor arritmia which could be controlled effectively."

He nodded, showing his mother that he was aware of the situation. Even though he hadn't left school at the time he was always informed of his grandmother's condition through constant phone calls, either to Jared or his grandfather.

After a few hours talking, he decided it was time to do what he had come home to do. He couldn't think of an eloquent way to say, so he just blurted it out.

"Mom, I have something to tell you. That's actually the reason I came home now. You know I am in the army, and you know it help me pay for college, so I decided that, now that I'm out of school, I'm going to pursue a career there. I just tried out to be a Ranger, and got accepted, so in a couple of weeks, I'm starting my training. I might not be home for a while"

Susan just laughed. "Oh Seeley, that's a good one. I know you own the army a great deal, but I know that you never liked to play with guns, even though you were so good, you always got the biggest stuffed animals for your dates on the shooting booths, whenever there was a carnival. So do you really think that I would believe you?"

Booth never broke eye contact and simply stated "I'm serious Mom"

Susan knew her son very well, and looking at his eyes she knew he would never lie to her about such a matter. And then it downed on her. Her baby boy was going to be trained to kill, and probably be killed in the process. Panic started rising in her chest.

"No Seeley, you're not going. I'm not allowing it. How could you enlist yourself in something so dangerous?"

"You know I have to do this Mom. My skills as a shooter are rare, and I'm a damn good soldier. Don't worry; I'll bring myself home in one piece. But my country needs me, and I'm going."

"But Seeley…"

"No Mom, there is nothing you can say to change my mind. You know that I've been taking care of myself on my own for a while now. I could have gone without as much as an explanation. But I love you, and I wanted you to know from me. I'm good at it mom, you should have seen me. I can be a big help." In his eyes there was a determination that only the red, white and blue can bestow upon a true American.

He could only see his mother's eyes watering. His stoic, strong mother was crying. She didn't cry often, but he knew he was breaking her heart. And his thoughts flew again to love. "This is what love does to you" he acknowledged "It breaks your heart"

He embraced his mother as let her cry in his shoulder. They were like that for what it seemed like to be hours, but could have just been a few moments. He wasn't sure. Soon after he told his mother he was going to see a couple a friends while he was in town, and he'd be back for dinner.

When he came back there was a car parked in front of the house. His father's car.

"Damn it Suzy, I've told you a hundred times, that I don't care what the fuck happens I want my dinner ready when I come home. Is that too much to ask, since you do nothing more that lurk around this hell hole the whole day. You don't even clean it, as you should."

"But, honey, were just waiting on…"

"I don't fucking care if we are waiting on the Pope himself. This is my household and you will do as I say, do I make myself clear?"

"Michael, just listen this once…"

His father saw red. Stomping from the table where he was waiting for his dinner to the kitchen he grabbed Susan arm as pushed her against the counter. She hit it with her hip, and even before she caught her breath, Michael was punching her cheek. He knew that was going to leave a mark, but he was beyond remembering that he should always hit the face with an open palm.

Seeley was just opening the front door when his father slapped her mother so hard, with the back of his hand that she flew all the way to the floor at the opposite corner of the room, and was running to her to kick her while she was down.

He yelled "NO" Trying to stop his father, but he was a man on a mission.

So he did the only thing he could remember. He ran to his father, caught him by an arm and pushed him so hard that Michael just fell to the ground. Before he could even realize what he was doing he had his knee over his father's abdomen, and his hands around his neck…

* * *

"BOOTH" She was screaming at the top of her lungs, which was not saying much at the time.

Brennan had awakened in the middle of the night to Booth's quiet whispers coming from the pull-out couch. First she thought she was hearing things, but, the sounds coming from her partner continued, and they were becoming more urgent. So, afraid he might be needing anything she got up and went to check on him.

To say that he was stressed would be an understatement. The sheets were completely torn, and she could even see that he griped them so tight that he just opened a huge tear in one of them. His shirt was sweaty, his hair a complete mess. His brows were furrowed in a painful kind of way, and beads of sweat were rolling through his forehead. But what really bothered her were his cheeks, wet with tears that she could see were still leaking from his eyes.

He was murmuring intelligibly, so she didn't have a clue what was tormenting him. He would murmur a louder no, every once in a while, jerking more forcefully, his grip on his sheets increasing.

Hurting for him, she decided to wake him up. He needed his sleep and this nightmare was not helping.

So she reached the edge of the pull-out couch and started calling him softly. When he didn't respond she tried louder. After a few minutes, she decided she would have to try differently. She reached his forehead and stroked him lovingly, her fingers running to his hair, trying to calm him down. He stopped for a moment, but when she thought that he was calm, he started shaking again. So, she got on her knees beside him and started shaking him hard.

"Booth, wake up, it's just a dream, please just wake up. It's me, Bones."

And out of the blue he opened his eyes. She started smiling, until she realized that he was looking right through her, as if he couldn't see her. And what she saw in them scared her to death. There was hate in those eyes. His eyes were full of despair, sadness, but what she saw the most was the hate.

Without knowing what happened he attacked her and she fell on the floor, banging her head on the side table in the process. In a matter of seconds she was pinned to the floor, powerless, beneath the FBI agent, who had his knee on top of her and his big hands around her neck…

"BOOTH" Her shouts were now mere whimpers and she knew she wouldn't be able to breathe for very long. Surprisingly she was thinking not about herself, but her partner, who was going to wake up to a dead women next to him, and would never forgive himself for doing that to her. She started crying silently, since the power to use her voice was long gone. But even then she managed to whisper:

"Booth, please don't hurt yourself too much over this. I know you would never hurt me. Booth."

And with that she passed out and he woke up. And what he saw broke his heart into a million pieces.

"Bones. Bones, what's happening? Bones are you ok?" As soon as he realized what he was doing he let go of her neck, and picked her up from the floor, only to lay her down in his bed. She was unconscious, and her breathing was shallow, but after her first gasp it started to become regular.

He was already calling for an ambulance when she woke up, barely strong enough to open her own eyes. She touched her neck realizing that by the pattern of the bruising that her hyoid bone had barely escaped intact, but that fact allowed her to live. She was grateful.

"Booth." She rasped, her voice not sounding like her own. Her head felt heavy and was hurting badly, but she knew she wouldn't need any specific medic care. She only needed rest.

"Bones, Bones are you feeling alright?" He was taking care of her, making sure she was comfortable, that her pulse was stable, but he was avoiding looking her in the eyes, touching only her wrist.

"Booth."

"You should try to lie down and rest. Do you think you should drink something? To make you throat less dry?"

"Booth."

"Bones, look, I should just take you to a hospital, you should be checked out, only God knows what could have happened what I could…" His voice broke. He couldn't even imagine what made him do what he did, and we could never forgive himself for hurting her like that. He had become his father. And now he couldn't even look at her, because it hurt too much. So he settled to sit next to her, looking at his hands on his lap.

"BOOTH" She tried as loud as she could, which wasn't loud at all, but it was enough to get his attention. She sat slowly in the couch, and reached for his face. With her hand she made him look at her. She just wanted him to understand, to believe that this wasn't his fault, but that he had to deal with it in order for it not to happen again.

She saw the sorrow in his eyes, the extreme sadness, and the sense of failure. So she spoke willing him to believe "You would never hurt me Booth. We both know it. What happened was an accident and it happened because I tried to wake you up in the middle of a nightmare. You are a good man Seeley Booth. Don't doubt it, please. I need you to believe it."

Their eyes locked and he knew she really meant it. He knew she would never blame him for the bruises that were now a violent shade of purple, for the cut in her head that was surrounded with dried blood, for the almost suffocating her to death part.

But the understanding only made him more aware of what he almost done. He almost killed her. He almost killed his Bones. With his bare hands no less. He wasn't worthy of her understanding, of her forgiveness. He shouldn't even be allowed to be near her, not after that incident. His hands were shaking and her hand in his face almost burned. She shouldn't touch him. She shouldn't be alone with him. He couldn't hurt her again, the mere though almost made his heart stop. No, he had to get away.

He jerked away hastily, and her hand fell to the mattress. In his eyes she could see the anguish, the hurt. She could see him blaming himself. She could see him pulling away. She could see him already leaving.

"Booth, please, don't go. I need you here, please don't leave me here alone, don't go." She almost begged, not caring that it was the ultimate sign of weakness. She needed him to understand.

He looked in her eyes intimately for what he believed it would be the last time "I'm so sorry Bones. I'll forever be sorry."

And with that he ran. He barely had time to realize that he was wearing nothing more that sweatpants and a t-shirt, which was too little that early in the morning. But he couldn't care less. As if he was running from hell itself, he went full speed until he could feel his calf muscles aching from the exertion, and his breathing labored from the cold air. Even then he didn't stop, wanting to feel the pain. After what he had just done he deserved it, every single bit of pain. He ran for almost two hours, not really paying attention to where he was going, until he reached a familiar part of town. He looked a few housed down and there it was, exactly as it had been so many years ago.

He was home.


	7. The aftermath Part 1

**Hello!!**

**I know, I know. I'm shameless. I took forever to post. In my defense I can only blame college. And Rome. **

**Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter. Even though I feel a litle sadistic admiting this, it was a lot of funto write.**

**So, tell me what you thing. Any ideias about what's coming?**

**Enjoy**

* * *

7 – The aftermath (Part 1)

Time stood still. Everything was moving in slow motion. She recalled begging him to stay, but the memories were plagued by the hurt of him leaving. He left. He truly left.

Brennan felt paralyzed, almost under hypnosis. The headache, the acute headache, the burning throat were all silenced by a broken heart. This simple fact mesmerized her. Her chest was physically hurting, as if Atlas got fed up of the weight of the world and dropped it right on top of her heart.

Her mind was slowly returning to her, after abandoning her just a few moments before. She carefully took in her surroundings. The room was a mess. The couch was out of its place, moved by the shear strength of Booth's struggle. The pillows were all over the floor, completely ripped through. The sheets were so torn that she was sure they were never going to be used as sheets again. The coffee table was broken and bloody, a small pit of blood pooling next to its right corner. And she was… Well, how was she?

Very slowly, Brennan got up and walked to the nearest mirror, her mind set in doing some damage control before heading to the morgue to work on the case. One single look told her that was not going to happen. She barely recognized herself. Her face was as white as snow, except for a few ugly purple marks. A clean but deep cut came from her forehead to her left cheek, missing her eye as by a miracle. It was still bleeding. "So this is why I feel so lightheaded." It was going to need stitches, so she needed to go to the hospital. Two purple hands were starting to form around her neck, making her appearance sinister. She outlined them with her fingertips, for a moment forgetting how they got there. She was impressed by their power. She had known they had been powerful, but to her, his hands had always been gentle. The dichotomy was breathtaking.

She indulged herself in a quick shower before going to the hospital, being careful to avoid the cut, making sure the bleeding was stable. Feeling the hot water hit her tense muscles seamed to calm her, not only physically, but mentally.

Temperance Brennan couldn't help to have mixed feelings about Booth's reaction. On one hand she had known he was going to blame himself, and she felt sorry for him. She knew he would never intentionally hurt her, and she wanted nothing more than to make him believe that. He didn't' deserve this kind of pain. On the other hand, she was a little hurt by the fact that he left. He had promised he never would, and now she needed him around. She needed him to take her to the hospital, to fuss over her, while she was telling him she could take care of herself. And she couldn't help him believe her with him running.

After the shower she dressed herself the best she could cursing the summer, and the Philadelphia's hot air. She was wearing a long sleeved shirt that made her extremely hot and a scarf around her neck that wasn't helping matters. But she couldn't walk around looking like someone's punching bag. It raised too many questions that she didn't want to, or even knew how to answer. "Where is Booth when I need him?" She sighed deeply.

She took the car keys Booth left, and was getting to the car when the dizziness started. Remembering that she had lost a considerable amount of blood, she put the keys back in their place, leaving the room, and heading for the front desk. That was as far as she went before passing out.

Booth had called the paramedics right before he left. He knew she would have to go to the hospital, so it felt like the least he could do. So by the time Brennan reached the front desk, an ambulance was parking in the drive way, and a group of people were putting her in the back. She fell in and out of consciousness during the ride, and every time she opened her eyes there was only one word leaving her lips.

"Booth."

* * *

It was almost noon when she woke up in an unknown hospital bed, to the annoying "bip-bip" of her heart monitor. At least her heart rate was normal. Her headache was fuzzier now than it had been that morning, and she didn't feel as tired. She looked around expecting him there holding her hand, sleeping by the window, or at least making some poor nurse very scared, while charming her into bringing him some pudding. She smiled at the image. She could almost see him flashing his smile, and making the woman melt under his brown eyes…

"Good afternoon, Doctor Brennan. How are you feeling?" She was brought back from her dream by a young man, about thirty five, with sandy brown hair and big green eyes. "I'm Doctor William Bennett, and I've been attending you since you came in at five this morning. I'm glad to see you finally waking up." He smiled, and Brennan found herself admiring the man in front of her. He had the whole Australian surfer's look, and she couldn't help but find him very handsome. But deep down, she was picturing a pair of darker eyes, a slightly larger shoulders and a wicked smile reaching all the way to his eyes…

"I'm not feeling any specific kind of pain due to my condition except from the small headache, which given the force of the blow it's only to be expected. When do you think I could get out of here?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's see what you can remember. What's your name?"

"Doctor Temperance Brennan"

"In what month are we?"

"August 2009"

"Good, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember reaching the front desk at the hotel. And after that a few pictures of the back of the ambulance. I assume I woke up a few times on the ride here."

"That would be correct according to your records. Well looks like there's not short term memory loss, which was kind of what we were worrying about given the area of your brain affected by the blow. There is a slight concussion on your left temporal lobe, but it's nothing to be concerned about. The MRI didn't show any kind of hemorrhaging so, I'd say you're going to be sore for a few days, but other than that you are good to go. You were lucky."

"So that means I don't have to stay here, right?" She threw him the best puppy dog eyes she could muster in her position. She was determined to leave.

"I'd like to keep you here for a few more hours to get your blood loss stabilized. You did lose a significant amount of blood, and it nearly sent you into hypovolemic shock. I'm sure you know how serious it would have been, if that had been the case."

"Yes."

The doctor nodded and made a few more notes in her chart. He moved to the door but before leaving he looked at her. "I don't know what happened to you, but you shouldn't have to go through this. This is a crime, you should report whoever did this to you…"

"STOP." Brennan couldn't hear anymore. She felt her eyes fill with tears that she would not let fall. "You said it yourself, you know nothing of what happened to me, and even if you had all the facts I'm not sure you would understand. What happened was nothing more than an accident, and there won't be any charges pressed."

"If it was an accident, why isn't he here with you now, making sure you are safe, Doctor Brennan?" And with that he finally left the room.

For the first time that day, Brennan let the tears fall untamed, and not because of the pain. The doctor had been right. Where was he?

* * *

Brennan wasn't allowed to leave the hospital until five o´clock that afternoon, after the whole day lying in a hospital bed completely alone. It was too late to go to the morgue by now. Her headache had subsided, and she did feel much better.

Calling a taxi, she made her way to the hotel again, hoping to find Booth around. She reached for her pocket to retrieve her cell phone, and found out that she didn't have it with her. She felt hope rise in her chest. That was why he didn't come to see her, or get her. He didn't know where she was.

Almost running through the hotel entrance, completely missing the flowers and the beautiful sunset, she made her way to the bedroom after picking up an extra key. Opening the door, she felt she had come back in time. The room was pristine, completely put together and clean. The couch had been moved back, the pillows and the table had been changed, the floors were moped, and it all smelled like roses. The curtains were opened and the last rays of light were streaming in. It looked exactly like the day before.

Catching her breath she entered her room where her computer and her mobile phone were resting in the vanity. Sure enough, there were an endless number of missed calls and messages, but she felt her heart break a little when none of them were his. There were some from Cam asking for developments, a few from the agent they had met in the crime scene asking when she would come in, and a ridiculously amount from Angela, begging her to call her call her back. She was worried, and for a moment Brennan felt better. At least Angela was still there.

Missing her best friend she turned on her computer, and connected the video feed. As she knew it would happen, within seconds Angela's head popped in the screen, her face balancing between anger and relieve.

"Sweetie, where the hell have you been? I've been trying to call you all day, Cam even called to Philadelphia's field office asking for you, but they said neither you nor Booth had come to work this morning. Cullen was crazy looking for the two of you; you were supposed to be working on this case. Booth isn't answering his phone either. We've been worried sick, you should at least send me a text next time you plan on disappearing for a day with that hunk of an FBI partner of yours."

Again, Brennan felt tears streaming down her face. She felt a wave of affection for her team. They had been worried about her. She even smiled at the scolding she was getting from Angela, knowing that it was all out of love. A wave or warmness washed through her. She hadn't even realized she was felling this cold.

"Angela, I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you."

Angela finally stopped talking and took a good look at her friend. She gasped. Apparently her appearance was still as rough as it had been in the morning.

"Sweetie, what happened to you? Where's Booth? Why did he let some bastard do that to you? I didn't know you already had leads in the case, you were supposed to examine the body today, and then send it to us for ID."

"Angela I don't know where he is."

Knowing instinctively who she was talking about, Angela asked "Did you two fight?"

"Not exactly." Needing reassurance from her best friend Brennan recounted the events that transpired in the morning, interrupted only by a few "Oh my god" or "Poor Booth" coming from her computer screen. Brennan felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders once she was done, and looked over to Angela. For the first time today someone understood her, instead of just judging or pitying her. Someone knew what she was feeling.

"Bren, don't worry too much he will come back."

"What if he doesn't, Ange? He was so hurt this morning. He couldn't even look at me long enough for me to tell him it wasn't his fault. He left so hastily that he didn't even take his cell phone. Or his car keys."

"Oh well, now I'm sure he is coming back."

"Why?"

"Brennan, when did he ever let you drive his oh-so-awesome FBI issue car?" Brennan laughed along with Angela for what it felt like ages, but it couldn't be more than a couple of seconds. Feeling a lot lighter, she turned her computer off and headed for bed. The day was starting to have its toll on her, and she was feeling very tired.

Slipping under the covers Brennan realized that she wasn't scared anymore. This was her and Booth. And they were the center.

He would be back. He had to come back.


	8. The aftermath Part 2

8 – The aftermath, Part 2

Booth didn't want to be there. There were few places on earth that he dreaded more than this one. And there was only one place he longed to be, and he couldn't. He just couldn't.

Everything was the same as it had been seven years ago, the last time he had been there. When he left he promised himself he would not come back. He would be a new man, a better man. A man that respected people, a man who wouldn't hurt his son and that would be there for every milestone. Or at least all the ones Rebecca would allow him to see.

But for that he needed to grow. The army had transformed him into a different man, much more bitter. The lives he had taken, and the lives he saw going astray marked his very core. He felt his soul was as black as charcoal. The times he helped save a friend, the times he accomplished a mission without bloodshed, the commendations were all moot points. He was a killer. And a very good one at that.

Gambling came as an easy habit. Casinos are fun places to be. They are designed to make people believe they can make money, even when they are smart enough to be well aware of the odds. The lights, the ambiance music, the cute waitresses that look too available for you to look, but never available enough for you to touch, all are set to make people let themselves go.

Then there's the rush. Either it was the sound of the slot machines, or the dealers' words praising you every time you won, the effects were always the same. He felt on top of the world. Every time he felt a poker chip on his hand, every time he was dealt a good hand of cards while playing black jack, he felt his heart rate accelerate. And all eyes are on him, and they're all waiting for him to make a move, and when he does, all breathing stops.

He wins. And with the money came the friends, the parties, the women. It's another thing about casinos. While you are on a winning strike, you are never alone. People parade around you, and go to the end of the world to please you. And so he would be surrounded by guys to whom he would be "the man" or girls who would almost do anything to bed him. That is if they actually made it to the bed, which rarely happened. He lost count how many blowjobs he was given on his backseat.

But all this glamour ends, eventually. Because then you start to lose. And all the friends seam to disappear, and the girls just start to find you disgusting, and you end up alone, with nothing more than your clothes. He used to seat on a hidden bench, looking around, and eyeing the people that were flying around him just a week previously, fly around someone else. Looking for a new source of money, free drinks, free luxury hotel rooms, and (what seems to be) free sex.

And then he was hooked. He would need the gamble as much as air. So he turned to loan sharks. And then he would lose everything again. And he would find himself struggling to pay his debts, and fearing for his own life. He took a few beatings during those days, he broke a few bones. Bones. He couldn't think of Bones right now.

Joining the FBI ended up saving him. He made enough money to pay what he owed, but the gambling never quite stopped. He would find himself wandering through the rows of slot machines just to listen to the wining sound. At least now he was making enough money to feed his own addiction, so things had already been worse.

And finally he had been transferred to Washington. And the gambling changed from casinos, to online poker sites. He was working his ass off during the way, and playing throughout the night. He missed the casinos. But this was the next best thing.

Then Rebecca. The dating was dreamlike. He was so smitten, that he was either working or spending time with her. Gambling was not the first thing on his mine anymore. And he was happy. Moving in together was the next step, and then the arguing began and all dreams went astray. They stopped talking, and everything that used to be there seen to be fading. Being together was more of a habit than any other reason. Sex was nonexistent, and even sleeping in the same bed was becoming a rare occurrence. He either slept at his office or he would come in so late that he collapsed on the couch.

And after a while he started noticing a few signs. She would be late a few nights week, and would arrive smiling, and oh-so-tired. Then there was the bruise in her neck, that she blushed when he asked about it, and the phone calls in the early mornings. Even already knowing she was cheating, seeing it for the first time broke his heart.

When they broke up the gambling, that had been reserved for late work nights, or the aftermath of a very gruesome case, started taking a front step all over again. His nights were spent with the TV on ESPN, and his laptop on his lap.

In the next few months his nights were spent either working, or gambling. Every once in a while he would fall back in bed with Rebecca. They both needed to feel the love that had been there, and if he was honest with himself, he would see that they had had more sex since they split, then when they were together.

But, as nothing you do is without its consequences, they got pregnant. And even if they were both scared, they still wanted to be together, and so they decided to try again. That was until the day he proposed, and she declined, as his father as predicted. Then and there they both realized that you can't always heal what's broken, so they gave up.

And so, after visiting his parents, after being told that he wasn't worth it, he decided that even if he wasn't, his son definitely was. So he vowed when he walked out of that very house to be an honest man. And so he joined the GA, and in a record time the gambling stopped. Parker was what really mattered.

Now he stood in front of the same door, seven years later, and he felt more of a loser than he had felt back then. He had almost killed his own best friend, with his bare hands. The one woman he saw himself spending the rest of his life with. He was turning into his father.

Nightmares were nothing new to him, he had them every once in a while. Normally, he would dream about a very bad mission at war, or bones being kidnapped, or killed. He would wake up in a cold sweat, and would be incapable of going back to bed, so he went for a run, or to work, or fix something around the house, anything really. In the past four years he would wait until a decent hour and would call bones just to ask if she was all right. No matter what she said to him, it always made him feel better afterwards.

But recently his dreams revolved around Philadelphia, and his parents' house, and his childhood. And they weren't pleasant dreams either. But his alternative reality did not excused what he did to Brennan, because in real life he almost killed her. He just hoped she was OK. Reaching to his pocket to call her, just to check, he found out that he didn't have it with him. He must have lost it in his haste of getting out of the hotel. It was for the better, Bones didn't need him around, not when he could hurt her like that. He never thought it was possible.

Dejectedly, he walked through the grass and sat on the front porch. It was still early to knock on anybody's door, especially if that anybody is your long family hat you haven't spoken to in seven years. More than that he wasn't even sure he wanted to go in. No, he needed to. But he wasn't really sure of the why.

He left the front porch as soon as he started feeling movement inside. He wasn't ready to be found, or go in just yet. He walked around the house, to the backyard and moved to one of his favorite spots in Philadelphia. The huge oak tree that stood tall in the corner was exactly as he remembered. He smirked at the memories he had from that very place. Its shade provided the romantic yet private environment dreamed about by many high school girls, as the prototype of the perfect date. Needless to say he got the best of it. Several times. But the privacy wasn't only perfect for reaching third base, or a full home run. The oak tree was a perfect hiding place. It was seasonal, sure, but always better than the attic, or the basement.

So he hid, like he had done many times as a scared kid, and realized that the feeling hadn't changed much. He still felt completely scared, and at this moment, more alone than ever. When he was a child there had always been Jared right next to him.

"I hope you're having fun in India, little brother" he said to himself, just to break the deafening silence.

"Oh well, I lasted longer that you would expect me to, so I guess India was ok"

Booth jumped, let out a not-so-manly yelp and turned around to see his brother leaning against the back door doorframe, smiling, as if finding him there was the most natural thing in the world.

"Jared what are you doing here? How long have you been here? Why didn't you call me when you got back? And how is it…"

"Whoa there, Seel, good morning to you to. I came back a few weeks ago, and since I don't have a job, or a place to stay, as you very eloquently put it last time we saw each other , I did what every screw up son does, I came back home."

"You could have called me."

"I could, but I found out that I actually miss this more than DC, so I just came. I was actually going out looking for a job, if you want to join me. I promised Mom I would be back for lunch, or else she would break my arm just to prove how thin I am."

Booth laughed "Yeah that does sound like Mom."

"So, are you comin'?"

"Huh, sure."

The morning was spent in almost silence, both brothers just enjoying the others company, and realizing that they both missed it. They didn't need reassurance, or advice, or scolding, they just needed the companionship. To Booth it made the world seem less lonely, specially now, that he just lost who he needed the most.

"So how's that hot partner of yours?"

Right on target. Booth clenched his teeth, his shoulders tensed and his hands turned into fists, his relaxed demeanor changing in less than half a second. Knowing his brother well, Jared knew he had made a mistake, but assumed, as anyone would, that they just had a messy brake up. He hadn't seen Tempe since the Gravedigger fiasco. She had apologized for making him lose his job, but guaranteed him that she would do it all over again, if her partner´s life was at stake.

"Don't tell me she beat you up over some technicality. She has a mean punch."

A dark shadow crossed Booth's eyes. He saw her, broken, with his hands around her neck, her forehead bleeding, pale, and panting for air that didn't seem to reach her lungs. The woman who just a year before had punch his guts out during his own funeral gone, and the abused fifteen-year-old resurging. He couldn't bear being the cause of this metamorphosis.

Booth walked away from Jared, not wanting to break down in front of him. He knew it was coming. He was feeling less and less secure each second away from her, not knowing what she was doing, how she was doing. He hoped she was ok. He would die if he hurt her.

"Hey man, want to tell me what's up?"

"No Jared, I really don't"

"Fair enough. But what are you doing in Philly, big brother? I though you sworn never to come back"

"I did. But remains were found here in Longwood, and got Bones to make the recovery. I came as her wingman."

It was the tone that alerted Jared. Seeley would never talk about coming home or work lightly, which told Jared that he was avoiding a touchy subject. And if he had to gamble, he would bet that issue had auburn hair and blue eyes.

"It's more than that, Seel, Philadelphia is a big city. And yet I found you by the kissing tree, early in the morning, wearing nothing but jogging clothes, and without your beloved SUV. What brought you home?"

"I just need to be here Jared. I don't know why yet."

"Well then, I'm sure Mom and Dad will be glad to finally see you."

That made Booth laugh for the first time that day, disbelieving what his brother was saying. After the last time he knew he wouldn't even be welcome inside. Not that it was his entire fault, but he couldn't blame it all on them. He was he screwed up one.

"Seriously. Mom still cries every time she makes apple pie, just because you won't be there to eat it whole. When I came the first think she asked was for pictures of Parker. She almost cried a new river in the living room. She still carries them around, you know, so she can look at them every once in a while."

"And Dad?" Booth was dumbstruck. He didn't know what to think anymore. He walked away from them out of pride and now he realized he wanted nothing more than somewhere he could belong to. Even his dysfunctional, abusive family.

"Dad is sick, bro, and has been for a while. You know what alcohol does to you. Liver failure and shit. He's yellow as parchment, and not breathing right. Doctors say it's a matter of time, there's nothing they can do short of a liver transplant. And he isn't a candidate for that. He still drinks."Jared stopped for a few moments giving Booth time to regroup. Even though their father had been a drunken son-of-a bitch, he was still Dad. And with that comes love. The kind of love which you don't understand, but that you feel none the less. Finally Booth understood what he was doing there; he had to try one last time. Forgive and ask for forgiveness. Because they were family, no matter what. And even if everything went wrong, it was not as if his life was right by any means. Bones would call it catharsis. Bones.

"All right Jared, you win. Let's go home, shall we?"

The house was fully awaked by now. He could see the blinds open, doors ajar, and a few rugs hanging from the windows, to shake the dust. He could already smell his mother's spaghetti with meatballs, Jared's favorite, and pie. He smiled at the thought.

Jared went ahead and called for his Mom, saying that he had brought a friend home for lunch. Delighted to have visitors, Suzanne Booth walked out the kitchen, cleaning her hands on her pristine white apron ready to welcome whoever her son invited home. Then she saw him.

She looked younger. Her white hair tucked carelessly around her face, her cheeks rosy, not pale and fragile as he remembered her from last visits. "It helps not having a husband beating you up 24/7" he mused.

"Seeley?" She asked tentatively, as if she was afraid he was nothing but a mirage created by her own broken heart. But then he smiled. A big, full, charm smile, the kind a smile she remember from when he was a child, long before the abuse, the war, the gambling, Rebecca. A smile so full that conveyed how grateful he was to be there again, after everything, after all that time. A smile he used to shot his Bones. Bones.

"Mom" And he broke. He run to his mother and hugged her, silent tears running down his face. He didn't cry often, but he couldn't help himself. He felt safe. Almost as safe has he had felt just the evening before, watching a movie in his best friends arms. He didn't believe he deserved it, but he accepted it afraid it wouldn't last long. They were like that, just hugging and feeling each other for a long time. He only let his mother go once he knew the tears had dried.

Lunch was a long affair. Eating wasn't as important as catching up, so before they knew it, it was almost dinner time. Between Parker stories, India stories and Philadelphia stories, conversation was light and refreshing. His father wasn't mentioned, even though he was dying to ask. Jared realized that Booth talked eagerly about almost any topic, but whenever the talk started to be work related he balked, almost prostrated with shame. Every time he had talked to Booth in the last 4 years or so, he had mentioned Bones at least once every five minutes, either to say he was going to kill her or that she had been amazing. But he talked about her proudly, head held high to have such a partner. During the whole day he hadn't mentioned her once.

Suzanne sensed something was off with her older son too, but she didn't know who Brennan was, so she didn't know what could be hurting her son that much. "Woman issues" she thought, not being too far off. She didn't ask, not because she wasn't eager to know more about her son but because she didn't want to sound too presumptuous. After all he left because of her, of them. She wanted him to stay, to call, to talk to them. She wanted her son back.

Whenever the conversation eased a bit, Booth's thoughts went back to the hotel, and the woman he had left behind. He was felling smaller by the minute, unworthy, unclean. He should have stayed, make sure she was Ok, but he couldn't. His heart couldn't bear to witness it. So more than a killer he felt like a selfish bastard.

The sun was setting on the horizon, when they decided it was time to get up from the table, silently doing the dishes like they used to years ago, relinquishing in each other's company. Only then Booth asked.

"Where's Dad?"

His mother's face fell, but answered him, looking him in the eyes, as she knew he deserved "He is in the hospital. He was admitted last weekend, because his breathing was failing. But the doctors say he should be home soon, there's not much they can do anymore."

Nodding in understanding, Booth turned to the dishes and said quietly "I should go see him."

"Yes, you should. But they have been keeping him sedated for the time being, and there's no point going there if he is sleeping. Let him come home, so that you can have all the privacy I know you'll need."

Booth nodded again. Sensing it was bedtime he was torn. But he did the only thing he was still strong enough to do.

"Mom, do you thing I could spend the night?"

Smiling brightly, Suzanne only nodded, and then started rambling about how they never changed his room, and how he would always be welcomed there, that he should come more often, and bring her grandson with him, because she was dying to meet him. Booth excused himself and went to bed almost immediately, leaving Jared and his mother behind

"What's eating your brother Jared?"

"I don't know Mom. He seems eager to get away from something, which is something he hasn't been doing in a while. Not since he met that partner of his."

"Who is this partner?"

"You know mom, the one that saved his life and made me lose my job in the process. She is fiercely protective of him, and he used to talk about her nonstop. He says he came here to work, but the entire day he didn't mention her. I think it stinks."

"So it is woman issues?"

"I guess…"

Upstairs, when Booth finally fell into bed that night, he almost thought he was only getting up. His day had been nothing short of surreal. But at that moment, lying on his back in his childhood bedroom, with his left arm over his eyes, there was only one thing he could think of. When he turned trying to make himself comfortable, there was only one image he could picture. Every time he listened to his brother's snores in the room next door, there was only one face behind his eyelids. And when he finally fell asleep, almost dawn, tired of tossing and turning and aching, there was only one word which escaped his lips. Bones.

* * *

**Well my darlings here you go! **

**I'm not satisfied with it, but it is the best I can do. I'm feeling that the story is gettinh really slow what do you think? Should I try to speed things up?**

**Oh, Thank you so much for all you'r wonderful reviews. They make my day =P And to those of you who just lurk aroun, please say something. Even if it is criticism. I apreciate them all. So ehat do you say? YOu think we can reach 50? 55?**

**Enjoy **

**Muifilipa **


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